“What a great book! A writer meets a tragic end, a lovestruck boy becomes a detective, a corrupt police inspector pursues a childhood vendetta, and a sinister, faceless character from a book springs from its pages to haunt the streets of Barcelona. Filled with dense atmosphere, witty dialogue, and a gothic sense of tragedy and mystery, The Shadow of the Wind is a book named after another, fictional book, which is the instigator of this suspenseful story. Just like the fictional book the main character finds, this one continues to split into story within story, like a Matryoshka doll, descending inevitably but deliciously, with a simmering slow pace, to its violent denouement. Memorable and captivating. One of the more popular books of the year of its release, and (though this is rarely so of such books: see Life of Pi for another such example) for a good reason. ”
Michael wrote this review Friday, October 17 2008.
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